robots

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover may be the agency's latest space-faring rover, but their newest wheeled robot was recently deployed in the cold depths of Greenland. Called the Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research rover (GROVER for short), NASA took it out into the cold weather to complete a round of tests to see how it would fare in negative 22-degree Fahrenheit weather.

As the next generation in computing springs forth, so too does the robots world - and with it, replacements for human beings in dangerous situations. What the DARPA Virtual Robotics Challenge this year is doing is filtering out challengers from across the globe - first from 100 entrants, then down to 26 entrants, then down to a select few or only one team that'll gain the highest prize.

Vehicles being driven by robots is nothing new. We've seen that in Google's self-driving cars, as well as prototypes from Lexus and Audi. However, Ford is putting the technology to a different use. They're using autonomous robots to operate new vehicles for the sole purpose of stress testing them on Ford's race course.

The United Nations spends a lot of time considering things that could be used against humans during times of war. One of the things that the UN has been considering recently are the use of automated robots with weapon systems on the battlefield. The UN is strongly against any use of autonomous robots with the ability to end human life.

They're a source of fascination for some and paranoia for others - robot insects, which are about the size of your standard house fly and capable of flying in mostly the same fashion. This week the first flight of robotic insects in a Harvard lab was detailed in the journal Science, along with an image of one of the tiny creatures in action, which we have after the jump.

Leave it to Canada to roll out an awesome design you can carry on every ($5) bill in your pocket. Earlier today, the Bank of Canada announced its new $5 and $10 polymer bank notes, which are not only among the most secure bills Canada has ever issued, but the lesser denomination also features Canada's awesome robot arms and was unveiled in part by Commander Chris Hadfield of the ISS.

We've been hearing a lot about Google's self-driving car lately, and we're all probably wanting to know how exactly the search giant is able to construct such a thing and drive itself without hitting anything or anyone. A new photo has surfaced that demonstrates what Google's self-driving vehicles see while they're out on the town, and it looks rather frightening.

Researchers and scientists at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have built a robot with quite the sports prowess, although you probably won't see it take the field anytime soon. The robot is able to swing and hit at plastic balls, and can improve its swing over time.

Baby sea turtles have an interesting way of moving across sand and into the ocean, and scientists have been studying these little creatures for quite a while. So much, in fact, that engineers are designing and building robots that replicate the movements of a baby sea turtle in order to better understand the origins of these animals.

Lego isn't all just about fun and games. While most kids love to play around with Star Wars Lego sets and craft their own creations out of the plastic connectors, the company wants to bring Legos into the classroom. Lego has announced that their new Mindstorms EV3 robotic sets will be set for classroom use on August 1.